Crosby reminded me that the function of bone marrow is to produce red blood cells. Because it is, in effect, a factory for the creation of cells, Crosby says, bone marrow is like an egg: "a perfect food. It's got everything in it needed to create and sustain life."

"His doctor, David Margolis, tells his young patients that their bone marrow is like a garden. If it is healthy, it grows red flowers (red oxygen-carrying blood cells) white flowers (white infection-fighting cells) and platelets (critical for clotting). If Antonio's transplant works, Margolis says, it will give him "new seeds" for this garden."

METAMIA is a free database of analogy
and metaphor. Anyone can contribute or search.
The subject matter can be anything.
Science is popular, but poetry is encouraged.
The goal is to integrate our fluid muses with
the stark literalism of a relational database.
Metamia is like a girdle for your muses,
a cognitive girdle.